A 46 year old Montana man convicted of nearly decapitating his girlfriend will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Shane Levi Cole Roberts, found guilty of murdering 52 year old Genna Rae LaCombe in Billings in 2024, received an 85-year prison sentence on Friday after pleading guilty to deliberate homicide. During the four-hour sentencing hearing, prosecutors laid out a substantial portion of their evidence, according to local CBS affiliate KTVQ.
Officers were summoned on 24 August 2024 after neighbours reported a foul smell coming from a nearby flat. Upon arrival, they discovered a body wrapped in blankets, towels and a shower curtain on the veranda.
Inside, they found Roberts hiding in a cupboard with a dog. He was immediately arrested.
A post-mortem examination revealed that LaCombe had sustained multiple stab wounds, with one injury nearly severing her head completely, KTVQ reported.
Roberts left behind substantial evidence, including photographs on his mobile phone showing his girlfriend’s bloodied body in a bathtub, taken approximately nine days before her remains were discovered. Officers also recovered a hammer, a hatchet and two blood-stained knives.
Subsequently, whilst detained at Yellowstone County Jail, he reportedly admitted to killing LaCombe during a telephone conversation with his mother, claiming she “pushed him too far.”
Roberts’ defence lawyer and the prosecution reached an agreement for a 70-year prison sentence. However, Judge Colette Davies extended the sentence by an additional 15 years.
“I’m told that you loved this woman,” Davies told Roberts, according to KTVQ. “But this is not love. This is abomination.”
Approximately two years before the murder, Roberts and LaCombe had started dating and were sharing the Sioux Lane flat. On Friday, Davies heard evidence from a forensic psychologist who claimed to have evaluated Roberts and concluded he suffered from substance abuse and major depressive disorder.
Nevertheless, the expert stated the assessment did not determine Roberts was incapable of comprehending his actions at the time of the offence.
LaCombe was a mother of two, according to her obituary.
“In addition to her role as a devoted mother, Genna cherished her hobbies,” the obituary said. “She was talented in arts and crafts, particularly painting and beading. She also had a passion for cooking, with her chicken noodle soup and pork chop chili being family favorites. Genna’s love for 80s music filled her home with dancing – even if her sons did so begrudgingly.”
LaCombe’s two children were among the family members who spoke at the hearing. They wept as they remembered their mother as a kind and generous woman who, despite enduring abuse from an early age, found happiness in her family and many others.
In her statement, LaCombe’s niece Corinne Moncada informed the judge that her family cherished her aunt.